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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Tim Hardaway knew he was having a bad
shooting night, but he still wanted the ball in crunch time.
Eddie Jones got it to him, and it paid off.
Hardaway's 3-point shot from the left corner with 3:14 remaining
in overtime snapped an 86-all tie, and the Miami Heat went on to
beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-88 on Wednesday night.
"We needed that, they tied the game up," Hardaway said of his
go-ahead basket. "When I saw Eddie drive, I said, 'Better get to
this corner.' He got it to me. I really wanted that one, I had
missed three or four in a row."
Hardaway was just 5 of 15 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from
3-point range, but still managed to score 21 points including six
in overtime as the Heat won for the sixth time in seven games to
move one game over .500.
"We're still trying to fight out of this hole we dug for
ourselves," said Jones, who scored 22 points. "I still think
we're a better team than our record shows."
Hardaway's 3-pointer triggered a 6-0 Miami run, capped by a
jumper by Jones with 2:06 to play, making it 92-86.
Lamar Odom made two free throws with 1:16 left, making it 92-88,
but the Clippers failed to cash in on several opportunities before
Hardaway's two free throws with 10.7 seconds remaining clinched the
victory.
"We're not quite ready to win those games, we'll get there,"
said Clippers coach Alvin Gentry, whose team has lost 11 of its
last 14 games.
"We didn't hit any shots (in overtime)," said Odom, who made just 4-of-16 field goal attempts but hit a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game 83-all and force the overtime.
"Winning takes time," Odom said. "You just don't all of a
sudden win. (Miami coach) Pat Riley's been winning for years. It's
a tradition we're trying to start."
Riley expressed the opinion that the Clippers might get there sooner than later, and Hardaway agreed, saying: "That's a good, young team, you can't take them for granted. They can play basketball."
Anthony Mason led the Heat with 24 points and 16 rebounds before
fouling out with 1:16 to play in overtime. Brian Grant had 15
points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which won despite a 15-0 run by
the Clippers to finish the third quarter and start the fourth.
"We have an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter, it
just went," Riley said. "It isn't that we can't stand prosperity,
we go through periods where we can't make shots."
Odom led the Clippers with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Corey
Maggette added 14 points and Keyon Dooling had 13.
The Heat won despite the fact that Clippers' reserves outscored
Miami substitutes 48-7.
The Heat led by four points after Mason's two free throws with
18.6 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Clippers got a layup by
Dooling and Odom's 3-pointer around a free throw by Anthony Carter
to force overtime.
Eric Piatkowski's bank shot with 8:33 to play in the fourth
period capped the Clippers' 15-0 run that put them ahead 69-68.
Neither team led by more than four points after that until Miami's
6-0 run in overtime.
Bruce Bowen missed his first 10 shots before making a 3-pointer
early in the third quarter, and Jones followed with another
3-pointer to cap an 8-0 run and give the Miami a 50-47 lead.
The Heat kept it going, and Hardaway's two free throws with 1:56
to play in the period finished a 9-0 spurt and made it 66-53, and
it was 68-54 before the Clippers turned it around.
Game notes
The Heat have beaten the Clippers eight straight times and
in 13 of the last 15 games between the teams. ... The game
represented a homecoming of sorts for Riley, a former coach and
player for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jones, A.C. Green and Cedric
Ceballos, who all played for the Lakers. ... Green, making his
first appearance at Staples Center since the Lakers beat Indiana in
the sixth and last game of the NBA Finals last June, extended his
NBA-record consecutive games streak to 1,133 games. He joined the
Heat just before the start of the season. ... The Clippers are 3-2
at home and 4-6 overall against Eastern Conference teams, while
Miami is 6-4 against Western Conference foes. ... Clippers rookie Quentin Richardson bruised his right thigh with 6½ minutes left in
the third quarter and sat out the rest of the game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chicago 104
Boston 86
Indiana 97
Dallas 92
Philadelphia 102
Washington 82
Charlotte 101
Sacramento 90
Detroit 92
Atlanta 69
Phoenix 103
San Antonio 93
Milwaukee 111
Utah 102
Seattle 94
Vancouver 93
Miami 94
LA Clippers 88
Portland 96
LA Lakers 86
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